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Thread: The role of demons in hinduism

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    The role of demons in hinduism

    Namaste,

    After studying works related with hinduism those last weeks, I found some kind of a strange feeling : this religious philosophy seems to be much less childish than my former christian faith. I posted a topic asking a question about hell : useless to say it does have an end in hinduism. And that doesn't exist in most christian churches, leading to fear, dispair and irrationnal actings.

    But I also had a question : I noticed demons still exist in hinduism. In my opinion, I guess their role isn't the same they have in abrahamic religions... I'd suppose they have nothing to do with hell and eternal torments ; after all, everything is God's will. So, how to contradict him with fully evil creatures acting without His consent ? I do not really find it logical... But your own advice is welcomed
    Maybe my interpretation's wrong : unfortunately, it is not really easy to find a clear answer for this question...

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Namaste ji,

    To a great extent almost all religions survive because they manage to instill fear in its followers.

    There is a poem by Khalil Gibran where he writes about the encounter of an injured Devil and a Christian Priest and the Devil asks for help from the priest.

    Initially the priest did not want to help the Devil but the Devil managed to convince the priest that people actually go to church and worship God because they fear the Devil.

    If the Devil was not present no one would pray.

    Then the priest realized this truth and helped the Devil.

    So like wise all the demons we see even in Hinduism is too instill fear in humans.

    Fear motivates many to not stray but in reality we might eventually drown in fear if we do not realize that fear actually takes us no where.

    So for me I read all these Demon stories with an open mind and not take it too seriously.

    In fact its funny to see demons depicted as so ugly and fat..when for all you know a demon could be having a 6 pack ribbed abdomen and drop dead handsome!(just kidding)..you can always deceive anyone with good looks isn't it?( we women are experts in this!LOL)..so why should a demon be ugly?


    BTW there is only one demon..that is ignorance and nothing else.

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Namaste,

    Demons in Hindu Dharma scriptures are not similar to demons in Abrahimic scriptures. Hindus don't worship God for the fear of demons, at least not mainly. It is not that if demons were not there Hindus wouldn't have worshipped God.

    Demons in Vedas and PurANas are with body like human beings but their senses are not in their control. They believed in sensual gratification and for that they wanted power. For getting powers they did tapas ... meditated on any form of God like Shiva or BrahmA and got boon from these God-heads. Once they got boons, they indulged in all sorts of mischief and atrocities against humans. Then there are Devas, the benevolent celestial beings. They try to save Dharma by helping humans. Demons would not always be cruel and adharmic or against God ... there were demons like VibhIshana and PerahalAd which were great devotees of God. So, it appears that Demons were actually some human beings who were on wrong path.

    However, all these demons are already annihilated in the PurANas. Now, these demons are inside us. We have to fear the demons that reside in us. We must pray to God to give us power to fight our own demons/ our VasanAs.

    Glossary :

    Tapas : Following the path of austerity to please God for getting boon
    Dharma --- Righteousness
    Adharma -- actions which are against the principles of Dharma i.e. Truth, austerity and compassion etc.
    VAsnAs --- Deep rooted impressions which drive us towards sensual gratification

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Vannakkam: As usual, there are many POVs, not just one.

    I view demons mainly as personifications of instinctive traits. Lust, Greed, Avarice, are the demons.

    However, there are also instinctive 'young' souls between births who, confused when alive, and not knowing how to find the next body, will play mischief with those of us in bodies. For example, and alcoholic might for awhile try to live out his desires for more booze by attaching himself to an embodied jiva, and try to live through the live body. This will pass, especially when the person involved can live a healthy lifestyle. Like attracts like, as they say.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Quote Originally Posted by VVV View Post
    after all, everything is God's will. So, how to contradict him with fully evil creatures acting without His consent ? I do not really find it logical...
    Namaste,

    The question is very similar to asking 'How are there bad people on earth when everything is according to god's will?'. It is first important to realize that being in a demonic state is a hellish state of affairs for the concerned soul. It is tormented day and night by evil thoughts and actions which are against all that is conducive to the soul's happiness.

    In puranas (as much as I know), we encounter demons in 2 stories (I'm sure there are much more). #1 in 'Kaisika Purana', swami Nampaaduvan encounters a demon which first wants to eat him. Swami Nampaaduvan being a foremost devotee of lord Sri Vishnu is on his way to finish his Ekadasi Vrat. A conversation erupts between the Swami and the demon, when the demon realizing the greatness of the Swami, begs the Swami of some of his merit so that it can be free of its 'preta-sharira' (demonic state) and can attain moksha. Nampaaduvan gives the demon merit of the singing the glory of Lord Sri Vishnu that day and on getting this, the demon attains 'moksha'.

    In another story, on Srimad Bhagavatha Mahatmiyam (the glory of Srimad Bhagavatha), is narrated the story of Dundukari, who while alive, took to evil ways, that upon his death, is rendered to wander as a 'demon'. It isn't until he meets with his divine half-brother that he has found a remedy to his condition. Day and night he is tormented by his state, even though he causes great misery to others. It is said of his state,

    Dundukari told him that the suffering that he was currently undergoing was inexplicable and was due to the sins that he had committed and requested Gokarana to find an elixir for his sufferings.
    Thus, we find that even though the demons cause suffering to others, they themselves undergo hellish nightmare while in that state and thus it is to be deemed a severe punishment.

    In the story of Sri Raghavendra Swamigal, we find another demon who routinely has the habit of killing all newborns in a humble household living in a small town. He is termed a 'Brahma Raskshasa'. Finally, Sri Raghavendra Swamigal's sishya who is carrying a small amount of 'paada-dhuli' of Sri Rayaru (the mud from the place Sri Raghavendra Swami stepped on), sights the unseeable Brahma-Rakshasa, and sprinkles it on him, when he finally attains 'moksha'.

    So the demons themselves are grateful for anyone who can redeem them from this hellish state of being. And also it is to be noted that they can themselves cause harm only to those others who destiny is to be suffering from the actions of a demon.

    The Srimad Bhagavatam story can be found at this link: http://srimadbhagavata.wordpress.com...ata-mahatmyam/

    Kaisika Purana and Swami Nambaaduvan's glory can be found at this link: http://ashramyoga.org/tag/kaisika-puranam/

    Thanks & Regards,

    Viraja
    Last edited by Viraja; 08 September 2014 at 10:04 AM. Reason: Fixed the name 'Nambaaduvan' to 'Nampaaduvan'.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Pranam

    When we talk about demon, immediately we think about some alien being with some wired features, perhaps we have been watching too many movies. Perhaps a demon does assume those horrible features, who knows but we sure see some/ many, demonic people around, all we have to do is listen or watch the news.

    Lord Krishna speaks about two type of creation Sura -godly person,and aSura (demoniac).
    There in is clearly listed the character of saintly person as well as a demoniac person. Bhagvat Gita chapter 16

    It makes a very interesting read and yes kaam, krodh and lobh he mentions, brings about that demoniac quality, he warns us to be weary off.

    Jai Shree Krishna
    Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
    Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
    The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Pranam

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    Namaste,



    I---i, begs the Swami of some of his merit so that it can be free of its 'preta-sharira' (demonic state) ---
    Pardon me but to my understanding preta sharira means Ghost if it equates to demon I have never heard off it. Still I could be wrong.

    In another story, on Srimad Bhagavatha Mahatmiyam (the glory of Srimad Bhagavatha), is narrated the story of Dundukari, who while alive, took to evil ways, that upon his death, is rendered to wander as a 'demon'. It isn't until he meets with his divine half-brother that he has found a remedy to his condition. Day and night he is tormented by his state, even though he causes great misery to others. It is said of his state,
    I am familiar with the story off Gokarna (cow's ears) and Dhundhukari due to his demoniac ways he was murdered and and thus he became a ghost and how Gokarna released him from his ghostly existence by reciting Bhagvat Shapta.



    Jai Shree Krishna
    Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
    Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
    The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Quote Originally Posted by Ganeshprasad View Post
    Pardon me but to my understanding preta sharira means Ghost if it equates to demon I have never heard off it. Still I could be wrong.
    To some, demon may mean the demonic clan, such as Ravana. I am unsure what the OP means, it appears to me he is talking about ghosts, brahma-rakshasas, bhutas, etc. Ofcourse I could be wrong .


    I am familiar with the story off Gokarna (cow's ears) and Dhundhukari due to his demoniac ways he was murdered and and thus he became a ghost and how Gokarna released him from his ghostly existence by reciting Bhagvat Shapta.
    It is a wonderful tale. Motivates anyone to do Bhagavata-saptaha.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

  9. #9

    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    To some, demon may mean the demonic clan, such as Ravana. I am unsure what the OP means, it appears to me he is talking about ghosts, brahma-rakshasas, bhutas, etc. Ofcourse I could be wrong .
    Namaste,

    As you said, it all depends of what we think when we say "demons"... But to sum up and maybe make my question clearer, I could ask it this way : do demons in hinduism have anything similar with abrahamic demons ? I guess they do not, since many good answers have been given
    Nevertheless, the judeochristian definition of what a demon is could be the next : "An eternal, immortal evil being that rebeled with Satan against and will be punished forever".

    Just count how many contradiction with hinduism are related with this (unfortunately) plain affirmation. I can see six of different sorts, and there are only a few words in it

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    Re: The role of demons in hinduism

    Nice post.

    Just one misinformation...the brahma rakshasa does not attain moksha by the dust of Shrii raghavendra's feet but get relieved from just the curse. Madhva system do not advocate merit less promotion and to attain moksha, you must have such as svabhava.

    Ravana is not a daemon but took the birth as rakshasa due to the curse.

    A ghost is jiva in the subtle body but in an unsuitable place of living. They do not progress without others intervention and to make progress they require either a better suitable prakriti body or release from prakriti! Not all ghost are daemons btw.



    Hare Krshna!

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